Pena’s conservative Colorado Party faced a severe challenge from residual corruption and poverty.
Santiago Pena is on track for victory in Paraguay’s election that would return the conservative Colorado Party to government after a hotly contested campaign that threatened to end its seven-decade hold on power.
The 44-year-old economist and former finance minister had nearly 43 percent of the votes cast, with nearly 96 percent of ballots counted, the country’s election body said.
Left-wing rival Efrain Alegre, 60, of the centre-left coalition Concertacion stood at 28 percent, it said.
About 4.8 million of the South American country’s 7.5 million residents were eligible to vote in presidential and legislative elections.
“Thank you for this victory in Colorado, thank you for this victory in Paraguay,” Pena said in a speech. Alegre was yet to concede, but current president Mario Abdo congratulated Pena on Twitter, calling him “president-elect.”
Alegre, a lawyer, had a slight lead in polls heading into the vote, raising the prospect of defeating the Colorado Party, which has ruled almost continuously since 1947 — through a dictatorship and since the return of democracy in 1989.
While differing in economic and international policies, the two frontrunners are both socially conservative and champion strong anti-abortion rights and anti-gay marriages in a predominantly Catholic nation.
Paraguay is one of only 13 countries to recognize Taipei over Beijing, and Alegre had promised to reconsider if he won.
China views self-governing, democratic Taiwan as part of its territory, has not ruled out the use of force to take control of the island, and has sought to isolate Taiwan on the international scene.
Honduras switched to Beijing in March, following Nicaragua in 2021, El Salvador in 2018, Panama in 2017 and Costa Rica in 2007.
Pena has said he will maintain ties with Taiwan but move the Paraguayan embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Paraguay previously moved its embassy in 2018, but reversed its decision within months.
Alegre had campaigned against corruption in the Colorado Party, which recently hit two of its top members with sanctions from the United States for alleged corruption.
They include Pena’s political mentor and Colorado Party chairman, former President Horacio Cartes.
Paraguay ranks 137th out of 180 countries on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.
Other election issues included poverty, social inequality and escalating crime.